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South Padre Takes Sand from Northend Landowners
397 Views :: 6 Comments :: :: South Padre Island
Dump trucks are moving sand for the Kemp Ridley sea turtle. It's benefiting some hotels and residential areas. Northend Landowners File Lawsuit.

The turtles need a sand dune at most three feet high. They'll dig and lay their hundreds of eggs.

SPI Public Information Coordinator Jason Moody says the project is helping more than the turtles. "It's benefiting the hotels, La Quinta, the Tiki, some of the residential areas that are on the beach. Because right now, they are waterfront property," he explains. "So we need to get the sand out to them so they can get out and enjoy themselves."

The project is set to finish by March 31 2008.

Some South Padre Island landowners on the north end have filed a temporary restraining order against the city. It's reportedly connected to the city's plan to re-nourish the south end of the island. Despite the order, dump trucks are still loading up sand from the island's north end and heading south.

The Landowners claim the sand was taken without authorization and only taken from a few selected tracks and not evenly from all the landowners.

Is it fair to take the valuable sand from only a few people and without asking?
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Comments
By Gerry C. @ Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:07 PM
Caring for our beaches is not an easy process. There seems little doubt to me that our valuable beaches are slowly eroding away, and that hurts our property values. The article below suggests erosion is related to the process of cleaning up the seaweed, but tourists understandably don't like seaweed. (I kind of laughed at the idea of "educating the tourists" that seaweed is a good thing.)

http://spislandbreeze.com/news_more.php?id=4130_0_2_0_M

So, there is no easy solution. The only thing that seems clear is that without attractive beaches, property values go down. We must not forget that SPI is really nothing more than a barrier island, and barrier islands are very fragile. Look at what happened to the barrier islands off the New Orleans coast after Katrina, which was only a category 3 storm:

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/katrina/photo-comparisons/chandeleur.html

You can see those barrier islands were almost wiped off the face of the planet. I seriously doubt if a comparable storm would do as much damage to SPI, given all the buildings anchored firmly in the bedrock, the heavy streets, trees, etc. (On the other hand, that was only a Cat 3 hurricane.) However, mother nature could easily eliminate most of our beaches with a much less severe storm. Just look at what has happened to Galveston over the years. The last time I was there (about 10 years ago) there was hardly enough room on the beach beneath the seawall for a lounge chair. To me it seems like a never ending program of beach replenishment is the only good answer for SPI. The technology exists, and preliminary surveys have already located a suitable sandbar with enough sand to get the job done. It's just a question of finding the money.

A European company did a fairly nice job of rebuilding the beaches in Cancun after being slammed by hurricane Wilma. The offshore sand wasn't as great as the original sand, but any sand is better than nothing. Mexico paid about $24M to widen roughly 8 miles of their beaches by about 70 feet, and it was worth every peso.

Really though, just moving sand from one area of SPI to another is a political nightmare. With the property taxes we pay, you would think the local politicians could find the money to seriously rebuild our beaches, and maintain them better. Lately it seems like they can't even keep the garbage picked up, much less the seaweed. Without good beaches, this wonderful island is really going to suffer. Sometimes I really wonder where our property taxes go.
By Mark @ Friday, March 21, 2008 8:49 PM
The Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act made suggestions what to do about the beach erosion problem back in 1999, but few people in authority seem to have taken their advice:

Suggested Information Sources

* Survey data from past South Padre Island beach renourishment projects.
* Individual project survey information contributed to the Bureau of Economic Geology.
* South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation-sponsored studies conducted over the last 20 years.
* Information from the Florida coastal program. Information on vegetation available in Pensacola, Florida.

Suggested Projects/Solutions

* Nourish SPI beach with dredged material from the federal navigation channel (Brazos Island Harbor).
* Truck sand to beach from the highway (Park Road 100) right-of-way (highway suffers chronic blockage by windblown sand).
* Build a groin on the eroding beach to break up the currents (refer to New Jersey, NC and SC).
* Study effect of weather patterns, rainfall, and dams.
* Revegetate dunes and reestablish the dune line for better protection.
* Encourage responsible development.
* Develop information on existing erosion research and projects that can be shared on the Web.

Suggested Criteria

* Consider the level of use for shoreline impacted by project.
* Consider amount of developed infrastructure.
* Help communities that help themselves.
* Recognize the leverage provided by beneficial use of dredged material.
* Consider tax dollars lost due to lost property use.

Suggested Process

* Keep the process simple.
* Think about efficiencies, especially making use of beneficial use opportunities.
* Apply laws and programs consistently.
* Provide information on program on Web site.
* Partner with other organizations (local communities, Texas Shore and Beach Association, Corps of Engineers) to leverage results of the program.

By Jay Lash @ Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:06 PM
It is irresponsible on the part of the town to take what does not belong to them. They are stealing hundred's of thousands of dollars of sand. I doubt they would plow the front yards of any houses in the town, why should the policy up north be any different? TXDOT has a right of way and nothing else, they don't own the property.

- Jay Lash
By Ceci @ Saturday, May 10, 2008 3:54 PM
The situation is even more complicated then that. The 1959 Texas Open Beaches Act establishes a public easement on all beaches that must be accessible to the public. The law says that if natural erosion moves that easement under or behind a home, and the home subsequently blocks access or becomes a public health threat, the home has to be removed – with no compensation to the owner.

So, owners of undeveloped beach front property not only have to worry about the ocean reclaiming their property, they also have to worry about the city stealing their sand. Doesn't sound fair to me, though I can understand the city's immediate need for "cheap" sand.
By Geri Ann @ Monday, May 19, 2008 10:39 PM
This picture of the beach in front of the Florence II condos is shocking:

http://www.mypadre.com/PropertySheets/BeachFrontCondos/FlorenceII.htm

Anybody who thinks they own "beachfront property" on SPI should be prepared to accept "waterfront property" in the years to come.
By Gordo @ Monday, June 02, 2008 7:06 AM
The problem of beach erosion is likely to get worse:

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/articles/island_80745___article.html/sea_level.html

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